Weekly Story: A Lasting Impression

by Rabbi Sholom Avtzon

As we mentioned last week we are less than thirty days before Yud Sbevat, which means that the preparations for Yud Shevat are underway. Many have begun learning the Rebbe’s maamar of 5723 and 5743 which expound on chapter 13 of the Maamer Basi Lgani, the chapter for this year.

Obviously, the main point of Yud Shevat is strengthening our Hiskashrus to the Rebbe, but as the Rebbe wrote we should [also] speak about the greatness of the Frierdiker Rebbe.

This week someone forwarded to me a clipping from an Estonian newspaper from February 1933 that brings out this point.

It is important to point out that this happened in March of 1933, three years after the Frierdiker Rebbe was in Chicago. Yet the impression he made on the city was so powerful that this non Jewish politician turned to him in his time of need three years later, while the Rebbe was back  in Riga (or actually visiting  Berlin).

Your feedback is always welcome and appreciated.

An interesting story that appeared in the Latvian newspaper Segodnya and was later reprinted in three Estonian newspapers in the end of February – beginning of March 1933.

The story of Yosef Yitzhak Schneerson, the sixth Lubavitcher Rebbe, who lived in Riga from 1927 to 1934 after leaving the Soviet Union.

In 1933 Rebbe Yosef Yitzhak Schneerson was on a trip to Berlin, where at that time his daughter Rebbetzin Chaya Mushka Schneerson was living with her husband, Rebbe Menachem Mendel Schneerson. They left Berlin for Paris in the spring of 1933, after the Nazi Party came to power.

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Cermak’s daughter asks the Lubavitcher rabbi to pray for her father’s recovery.

Rabbi Schneerson got a call from Chicago.

Yesterday, shortly after 7 o’clock in the evening, the well-known Chicago Jewish public figure Albert Goodman called from Chicago to the apartment of the “Lubavitch” Rabbi Schneerson, who asked Rabbi Schneerson to the phone. The phone was picked up by the rabbi’s son-in-law Gurary, who announced that Rabbi Schneerson was away. Then Albert Goodman announced to Gurary that he was calling on behalf of the daughter of the Chicago mayor Cermak, who, as is known, was recently seriously wounded by the terrorist Tsingara in Miami during the assassination attempt on Roosevelt and is currently in an almost hopeless condition.

According to Goodman, Cermak’s daughter told him that her father had instructed her to immediately communicate with Rabbi Schneerson and ask him to bless Cermak and pray to G-d for his recovery.

Chermak told his daughter that he was addressing Rabbi Schneerson as an outstanding Jewish spiritual leader, because he considers himself a great and sincere friend of the Jews, he always helped them to the best of his ability and therefore believes that at a critical time, when he struggles with death, Rabbi Schneersohn will bless him and pray to God for him.

Gurary knows Goodman from Chicago, where he met him 3 years ago, when, together with the “Lubavitcher” rabbi, he made a long trip around America. In Chicago, Rabbi Schneerson and Gurari met Goodman 2-3 times. Goodman is a very important figure in American Jewry.

Gurary told Goodman that he could telegraph to the “Lubavitcher” rabbi in Berlin and convey to him Chermak’s request. Goodman expressed his consent and, in advance thanking Gurary for his labors, he ended the conversation. Apparently, Goodman, however, soon changed his mind and preferred to try to communicate directly with Rabbi Schneerson. After that, the Chicago telephone station, on behalf of Goodman, requested from Gurary the telephone number of Rabbi Schneerson in Berlin.

Whether Goodman’s conversation with Rabbi Schneerson took place last night in Riga could not be ascertained.

After receiving the news that Rabbi Schneereon had been called from Chicago, we called the Riga telephone station and found out the following details.

At 7 o’clock 16 min. in the evening the Riga telephone station received a request from Chicago via Berlin with a request to establish a connection with the apartment of Rabbi Schneerson. The connection was given immediately. From Rabbi Schneerson’s apartment it was answered that Rabbi Schneerson was not at home, that he was in Berlin. The son-in-law of Rabbi Schneerson Gurary was at the telephone, and he had a conversation with the caller in Chicago.

The conversation lasted 4 minutes. It cost in translation into the Latvian currency 257 lats.

After 15-20 minutes, a second request was received from Chicago asking the Riga telephone station to find out at Rabbi Schneerson’s apartment his Berlin telephone number. The Riga telephone station, having called Rabbi Schneerson’s apartment, found out that he could be called in Berlin at Uland 62-51 and transmitted this number, again via Berlin, to Chicago.

Despite the huge distance separating Chicago and Riga, and the many telephone stations through which this conversation went, the audibility was very good and both parties could talk without raising their voices.

Rabbi Avtzon is a veteran mechanech and the author of numerous books on the Rebbeim and their Chassidim. He can be contacted at avtzonbooks@gmail.com